Interesting Runs

Things have been getting interesting on my last few runs.  I might have to start carrying a camera when I run.

Last Sunday's run began with a bush rat drunkenly staggering across the path, I suspect feeling the affects of a snake bite.  On my return trip a few minutes later the rat was still hopelessly tripping over itself.  I didn't stop, as I expected there was a snake nearby waiting for its lunch to finally fall over.

A kilometre or so later I came across a very large blue tongue lizard.  Upon hearing me approach it initially started to move, but then gave up and decided it was my job to run around it.  It was around 45 minutes later that I came back past and the lizard was still lying in the middle of the path.  Sadly the next day Elaine discovered that the lizard had died - which does explain why it didn't feel like moving.

This morning we experienced some major storms with extremely strong winds.  When I ventured out on my run this afternoon, there were a lot of broken branches and fallen trees across the path making parts of the run more like an obstacle course.  Several hundred metres before the end of the path at Frankston the path was completely blocked forcing me to cut the lap slightly short.  However before I reached this blockage I ran past a couple having sex on one of the picnic tables - a sure sign that you are approaching Frankston (and not something I would want to have photographed).  Fortunately they were gone by the time I came back, but only 20 or so metres passed the picnic table, a huge brown snake (at least 2 metres long and very thick) was sunning itself in the middle of path.  I stopped about 5 metres short of the snake while it very casually slivered into the bushes.  It was not a scary encounter as evidenced by the fact my watch showed that my heart did not rise - it was simply interesting and far preferable than the scene I encountered on the way out.

Today's run was supposed to be 14km, but my body had other ideas.  Early on I felt shin soreness, but decided to continue and the soreness slowly died away.  However as I got closer to home my patella tendon started to ache and this was something I was not going to ignore.  So my run was cut short at only 9.5km, hopefully I'll feel good enough on Friday to complete the full 14km.

Once I stopped my knee felt fine and has actually felt better since the run than it did in the morning.  Am I now being over sensitive about my knee, or did my premature end to the run save any damage from being done.  I'm worried that my knee will always start to hurt around 10km, because at some point (very soon) I am going to need to press on, because time is running out.